I recently attended a City Council candidate forum where Gregg Hart was asked about his full-time employment with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. SBCAG is a regional planning agency comprised of Santa Barbara County and all eight incorporated cities within the county. It distributes local, state, and federal transportation funds and acts as a forum for addressing regional and multi-jurisdictional issues.

I’m curious how Mr. Hart will be able to fairly represent Santa Barbara City’s interests as city councilmember when he will be pulled by the SBCAG to make decisions based on a county-wide, eight-city perspective.

SBCAG may agree with the City of Santa Barbara, or it may not, when it comes to doling out funds and to policy matters.

Doesn’t Santa Barbara city need a councilmember who will advocate for the city’s own interests without Mr. Hart’s apparent conflict?

Thu Apr 18, 2024 | 22:56pm
https://www.independent.com/2013/10/12/conflicted-hart/

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